Of Scars and Stardust | Review

Most “OMIGOSH WHAT JUST HAPPENED” ending EVER!

Of Scars and Stardust by Andrea Hannah

Expected publication: October 8th 2014 by Flux.

Pages: 336

Source: eARC from Netgalley

Format: eBook

Preorder it from Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

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After her little sister mysteriously vanishes, seventeen-year-old Claire Graham has a choice to make: stay snug in her little corner of Manhattan with her dropout boyfriend, or go back to Ohio to face the hometown tragedy she’s been dying to leave behind.

But the memories of that night still haunt her in the city, and as hard as she tries to forget what her psychiatrist calls her “delusions,” Claire can’t seem to escape the wolf’s eyes or the blood-speckled snow. Delusion or reality, Claire knows she has to hold true to the most important promise she’s ever made: to keep Ella safe. She must return to her sleepy hometown in order to find Ella and keep her hallucinations at bay before they strike again. But time is quickly running out, and as Ella’s trail grows fainter, the wolves are becoming startlingly real.

Now Claire must deal with her attraction to Grant, the soft-spoken boy from her past that may hold the secret to solving her sister’s disappearance, while following the clues that Ella left for only her to find. Through a series of cryptic diary entries, Claire must unlock the keys to Ella’s past—and her own—in order to stop another tragedy in the making, while realizing that not all things that are lost are meant to be found.

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The thing that first attracted me to this book was the cover! It is beautiful! If a book has a bad cover, I don’t want to read it. I hate books with faces on the cover. I want to imagine what the character looks like, and this contaminates my imagination. I LOVE Stephanie Perkins but I hate her old covers!

These make me want to throw up. (But read the books anyway because they’re SO CUTE!) OFF TRACK!

Of Scars and Stardust was very different. Having an unreliable narrator is always interesting but tough. We Were Liars and The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer both had unreliable narrators. It is different to have to both focus on the plot and decide wether or not the narrator is crazy.

Isla and the Happily Ever After | Review

THIS IS THE BEST AND STEPHANIE IS QUEEN!

Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

Expected publication: August 14th 2014 by Dutton

Pages: 339

Source: Purchased (EARLY BECAUSE OF INCOMPETENT BARNES AND NOBLE EMPLOYEES! God bless them!)

Format: Hardcover

Preorder it from Amazon or Barnes and Noble. Or just buy it when it comes out in a couple days.

You can still preorder it from one of these independent bookstores and receive A SIGNED COPY and free stickers and buttons! Click here!

Read the first fifty pages here.

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From the glittering streets of Manhattan to the moonlit rooftops of Paris, falling in love is easy for hopeless dreamer Isla and introspective artist Josh. But as they begin their senior year in France, Isla and Josh are quickly forced to confront the heartbreaking reality that happily-ever-afters aren’t always forever.

Their romantic journey is skillfully intertwined with those of beloved couples Anna and Étienne and Lola and Cricket, whose paths are destined to collide in a sweeping finale certain to please fans old and new.

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In summary,

How to Save a Life (the book, not the song) | Review

Heartbreakingly beautiful novel that must be read.

How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr

Published October 18th 2011 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.

Pages: 341

Source: Purchased

Format: Paperback

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Summary from Goodreads:

Jill MacSweeney just wishes everything could go back to normal. But ever since her dad died, she’s been isolating herself from her boyfriend, her best friends—everyone who wants to support her. And when her mom decides to adopt a baby, it feels like she’s somehow trying to replace a lost family member with a new one.

 

Mandy Kalinowski understands what it’s like to grow up unwanted—to be raised by a mother who never intended to have a child. So when Mandy becomes pregnant, one thing she’s sure of is that she wants a better life for her baby. It’s harder to be sure of herself. Will she ever find someone to care for her, too?

As their worlds change around them, Jill and Mandy must learn to both let go and hold on, and that nothing is as easy—or as difficult—as it seems.

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Okay, I don’t even remember when I bought this book but it has been on my TBR (to be read) shelf. I randomly grabbed it before my family and I went on a trip and that was a very smart decision.

I don’t know what I was expecting from this book. I didn’t reread the summary when I picked it up again so I didn’t know what to expect. The first thing I noticed was that the book was based in Denver, Colorado and my family is vacationing in Colorado so I was basically like

This book is in dual point of view, which was done perfectly. Jill’s father died ten months ago and she was very close to her father so she is greatly distressed by his death. She pushes everyone away; her mother, boyfriend, and friends. Jill is definitely not coping well, and her mother, Robin, copes in a very different way.

Quick and funny short stories.

Adventures with Ragweed by Linda Lou Crosby

Published September 26th 2013 by Neon Lines.

Pages: 88

Format: Paperback or eBook

Source: Review Copy

Check out the Website

Buy the Paperback or Kindle version.

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Adventures with Ragweed is a collection of humorous short stories filled with adventure and family themes. Ragweed is a tribute to the whimsical part of each of us. Follow this young teen and her best friend, Marney as they travel to Mexico for a fishing trip where the family is to shoot a pilot for a television show instead find themselves in an unexpected sea storm. Laugh out loud as Ragweed takes on the tennis elite at the country club or attempts to rearrange their perfectly cut lawns. Always one to learn new things, this young freckled face gal with the unruly blonde hair builds a float, rides a horse and grows a garden. Each task done with her own unique vies of the world. These stories are meant to entertain. It’s difficult to narrow it down to one specific genre as the book is a collection of short stories suitable for young adults as well as for an older crowd with a sense of humor. Family Relationships, Friendships, Essays and Humor are categories all presented within the pages of this book. May you enjoy each tale as much as Ragweed enjoyed living the adventures.

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I don’t really read short stories at all, ever. But, I will read them occasionally to just read a quick funny story. That is what these stories were.

Adventures with Ragweed is a collection of short stories that follow the mischievous Ragweed and her best friend Marney as they wreak havoc on anything in their path. Not on purpose, of course.

You’ll read as Ragweed unintentionally causes misfortune on her unfathomably rich parents.

I particularly enjoyed the story in which Ragweed was in a tennis match because I’m always up for a good sports story!

These stories are classified as YA but they aren’t really YA. I thought Ragweed was eight or nine until a story said she was a senior in high school. Whoops!

They’re a great fast read if you’re looking for a good laugh. They’re also useful if you have younger siblings and want a story to read to them before bed.

So, read Adventures with Ragweed if you want a quick laugh or something to read to a younger crowd.

Your favorite fangirl,

Sarah!

Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

August 2014 in YA

What’s happening this month in YA?

Books

Click the book title for a link to the book’s Goodreads page.

August 5th

Opposition by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Yes, yes, yes, yes! I sped through the Lux series like a cup of water after a cross country race. That cliffhanger left me begging for more and I am SO ABSOLUTELY TOTALLY READING THIS BOOK! YES!

 

 The Islands at the End of the World by Austin  Aslan

This book sounds really mysterious and really good. Electronics have failed? Is this like NBC’s Revolution? I watched that show and kind of liked it but I would read this one if I needed a book. Also, the author’s last name is Aslan. Win.

 

Of Metal and Wishes by Sarah Fine

I think this book sounds quite interesting. I’ve never read a book about ghosts before, but I may as well start now! I will probably be reading this book.

The Rules for Disappearing | Review

Quick and mysterious read.

The Rules for Disappearing by Ashley Elston

Published May 14th 2013 by Disney-Hyperion

Pages: 320

Source: Purchased

Format: Paperback

Buy it at Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

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Summary from Goodreads:

She’s been six different people in six different places: Madeline in Ohio, Isabelle in Missouri, Olivia in Kentucky . . . But now that she’s been transplanted to rural Louisiana, she has decided that this fake identity will be her last.

Witness Protection has taken nearly everything from her. But for now, they’ve given her a new name, Megan Rose Jones, and a horrible hair color. For the past eight months, Meg has begged her father to answer one question: What on earth did he do – or see – that landed them in this god-awful mess? Meg has just about had it with all the Suits’ rules — and her dad’s silence. If he won’t help, it’s time she got some answers for herself.

But Meg isn’t counting on Ethan Landry, an adorable Louisiana farm boy who’s too smart for his own good. He knows Meg is hiding something big. And it just might get both of them killed. As they embark on a perilous journey to free her family once and for all, Meg discovers that there’s only one rule that really matters — survival.

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First off, sorry for the quick hiatus! I was at Camp Cedar Cliff (which is an amazingly awesome camp) and I couldn’t have any electronics! Gasp!

Anyway, I read The Rules for Disappearing during my free time at camp and it was definitely a page turner. It was also IN THE SOUTH! Hooray!

The book follows Meg as she and her family are thrust into the witness protection program. Meg is at her sixth placement in rural Louisiana and she has firmly decided that she will not associate with anyone or make any friends because it is too hard to leave them behind.